Road To Nothing
by Ooonicorn
Summary: Arthur starts having these...dreams. He tries not to let whatever these feelings are get in the way of his and Merlin's friendship...but is that the right thing to do? It could possibly destroy everything he truly cares about and loose the person he lov- likes... Also:Merlin/Gwaine, Arthur/Gwen and Jealous!Arthur.
1. Chapter 1

Sweaty limbs tangled in a mix on fine cotton sheets. The feel of a strong hand grasping his thickening shaft as he thrust his hips forward to meet it's touch.

Arthur gasped out loud as he arched his back off the bed, continuing to grind his hips into the hand that was quickly bringing him to a climax. He gazed up at the body covering his own; pale skin glowing from the candle light. He ran his hands over the soft skin, relishing every moment that he had the warm body pressed up against him, pleasuring him like no one else had ever done before.

Beautiful...

His heart started to pick up a pace and his breath became shorts pants. The hand grasped around his cock quickened and Arthur let out an animalistic groan. '_God, this feels amazing_' he thought. The two bodies continued rutting against each other, the combined pressure of his lovers body plus the gripping hand was drawing out more groans from the blonde prince.

He couldn't resist the urge to gaze upon the face of this magnificent being, so he looked directly into their eyes. Familiar bright blue orbs stared back at him then a pulling sensation stirred in his lower stomach, climax approaching. '_The eyes are oddly familiar...almost like..._'

"Merlin" he moaned. By now he was painfully hard, his body aching for release. He started thrusting almost desperately into Merlin's hand, moaning as his balls started to seize up, knowing his orgasm was near. The sound of the dark haired boys voice protruding the air only made Arthur want him more as Merlin whispered his name in his ear.

"Arthur..." The prince groaned. How could something sound so delicious and yet so innocent at the same time? It was positively sinful.

"Arthur..." Merlin's repeating his name over and over again was the thing he needed to completely climax. The feeling was pure bliss. His body shuddered as his seed shot out and settled on his stomach, breathing laboured as he fought to regain control. He smiled and looked up at the eyes above him, still hearing Merlin say his name. He had never felt so content and at peace with the world, but the feeling didn't last as bright blue eyes stared fading into a grey background, '_What is happening?_'

"Arthur..." Merlin's voice asked.

'_Where is he going? What's going on?_'

"Arthur..."

'_What kind of trickery is this?_'

"ARTHUR!"

The princes eyes shot wide open and he sat up with a jolt with a very annoyed looking manservant sat on his right side.

"Finally! For all that moaning you were doing, I'm surprised you didn't wake yourself up, which would have saved me a lot of time as I've been trying to wake you for five minutes!" Arthur pulled his sheets up to cover his chest, suddenly self conscious, but stayed silent. '_Oh, God! Did I just have...about Merlin..._' not trusting his mouth not to betray him he stared at his manservant with widened eyes. Merlin waited for his friend to speak, but after a few minutes with no reply he decided to break the silence.

"Did...you want to talk about it?" The young warlock questioned.

"I-I-I..." He didn't know what to say, how could he explain his...dream? Especially when the main star of that magnificent performance was the man before him, but he wasn't made to suffer for very long as Merlin cut him off.

"It's okay, Arthur. I get them too sometimes...I mean, well everybody gets them." The blonde's eyes widened, '_Had Merlin just confessed to having the same problem as him?_' he shook his head and sighed, running a hand through his bedraggled hair.

"It just felt so...real."

"I know. Sometimes it's hard to define what actually reality is...to know what is real." Arthur nodded in agreement. Dream Merlin had felt so real...so wonderful.

"I just...it felt so-"

"Scary."

"Scary?" Arthur stilled at this, slightly confused. Did Merlin actually find these pleasurable dreams scary? '_Honestly, he is such a girl sometimes_' but stayed silent as his friend carried on talking.

"Yes, scary. It's okay, Arthur. Like I said, 'Everybody has them' Nightmares a very common, even Morgana gets them and we both know how strong and stubborn she is" and gave a small laugh. Arthur felt his heart sink. Merlin didn't get these dreams...he suddenly felt guilty, almost as I'd he had disgraced Merlin. Not only had he had a dream...about sex, but sex with a _man_! His friend for Christ sakes! It just wasn't normal.

The prince was starting to feel uncomfortable with this awkward conversation now. Drying cum on his stomach and a tainted memory of his friend he put an end to it.

"Yes, well thank you for waking me, Merlin. I trust you have a good reason for being here at this ungodly hour?"

The poor boy looked slightly affronted, he had only wanted to help Arthur as he felt terrible watching him toss and turn like he was in pain, moaning... He straightened his posture and went to get a goblet of water for his prince to drink. He handed the drink over and relayed his orders.

"Yes sire. As you may recall, last night after you lovingly tossed me you dirty, but royal, socks at me you also asked me to wake you early so you could leave for an early hunt." The memory from last night came flooding back. Arthur, more than a bit drunk laughing at something Merlin said, deciding to go on a hunting trip and then...banishing Merlin by throwing his dirty socks in his face. '_Oh, God! I AM a prat!_'

"Oh and before I forget, the kings wishes you to grace him with your royal prattness and have breakfast with him...my words, not his...please don't tell him what I said. I really don't want to spend another day in the stocks"

Arthur scoffed, "I should have you in the stocks for calling me a prat...idiot." He cocked an eyebrow and took a gulp of water. He expected a witty reply, but Merlin just smirked and crossed his arms.

"Oh and when I said 'breakfast' sire, I meant now." Arthur spat out the water and threw back the covers, completely forgetting about his...predicament. Luckily Merlin was too busy dodging a flying pillow to notice. Not even bothering to wait for Merlin to dress him he ran to his wardrobe and pulled on a red tunic and with some black trousers, secured his belt and grabbed his award before running to the door, but just before making a flash exit he stops and turned to the smirking Manservant.

"Merlin, clean up this mess and when you're done, secure the horses and fetch supplies for our trip." The blonde man left the room triumphant after hearing Merlin give a heavy sigh and start portaging around, making preparations for the day.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur pushed the doors open and made his way over to the chair closest to his father, sighing as he sat down and rolled his head. Although he had a good night's sleep, he was already feeling the pressures of being the prince and his previous encounter with Merlin had only made him feel more on edge.

"Ah, Arthur," The King droned, "Thank you for joining me so early this morning. I know how difficult it is for you to drag yourself out of bed" The older man said this so playfully that it startled Arthur out of his own thoughts. The young Prince looked over at his father and saw him smiling in a way that almost made him look he had as a child. His father had not been this openly affectionate or playful since he was young and even back then it hadn't been all that often, so for him to be acting like this now was enough to put Arthur in a good mood.

"Good morning, Father. I thought it befitting to grace you with my presence before I leave for my hunt." Arthur said with a smug tone. The King gave a small chortle and grabbed a piece of fruit from one of the many platters on the table.

"You know, that servant of yours is right." The blonde prince peered at his father inquisitively.

"Oh yes, how so?" He questioned.

"You _are_ a Prat." Stated Uther and he proceeded to take a large satisfying bite of fruit. Arthur, slightly taken back from his father jibe, was left stunned and only managed a stuttered reply.

"Wha-? Father!"

"What?" The older man chuckled.

"F-Father, I can assure you that I am not in fact a Prat! And when have you ever agreed with Merlin?"

"Since I saw what the boy has been dealing with for a whole year."

"I don't know what you mean..."

"What I am referring to is last night...and your witty but disrespectful comment this morning. I am still the King you realise and I will not have anyone thinking that it is a pleasure to grace _me_ with their presence." The young man looked down with a face of shame. He hadn't meant any disrespect towards his father, he was just playing along...But it seemed as if the time for joking was over.

"I am sorry, Sire," Arthur said this with the most apologetic tone he could muster, hiding his disappointment; "I was disrespectful of me to imply such a thing."

"Yes...well, thank you for that. Anyways, about last night-"

"Yes, what about last night? What exactly did you see that could make you believe I am a Prat?" Uther stared at his son and cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, Arthur, last night as I was on my way to my chambers I decided to pay my son a visit because I was impressed at how grown up he has been acting lately." Arthur groaned...he knew where this was going, "...As it happens, the door was open just enough for me to see my 'grown up' skipping about with barely any clothes on throwing socks on his manservant." The shamed prince brought up his hands and ran them over his face repeatedly, hoping to rub the shame away. He felt like the whole world was conspiring against him to make this day as awkward as possible. When he finally looked up he found his father smirking at him.

"Now Arthur, you know I don't usually concern myself when it comes to your servants as I wish to leave them to your command; but honestly? I could understand if it was into his arms, but his face? No one deserves that-"

"In my defence, I had been drinking a bit more than a glass of wine."

"Even still, it's not becoming of the Future King of Camelot. And haven't you said before that he has some sort of mental affliction? He might take offence to it" The prince laughed at Uther's statement.

"Who, Merlin?" Arthur paused, thinking about all the times they had used that excuse to keep Merlin out of trouble and decided to leave the King thinking that, "Yes, you're right; quite mental. Gaius has tried to find a cure find a cure, but unfortunately has found nothing for is "Special" impairment." He sighed in a dramatic way as to convey his empathy, "You know Father...I really feel for him sometimes."

"Is it that bad?" he questioned.

"I'm afraid so" The king pondered for a moment before asking.

"Should I get you a new manservant? If Merlin is not up to doing his duties, I can find you someone more capable. It might be for the best actually, you're always complaining about how much of an idiot he is."

"No father, Merlin has enough brains to get by as my manservant...and I don't complain about him."

"Maybe not to me, but Morgana and I do talk, Arthur."

"Yes, well Morgana needs to learn when to-"

"Arthur..." The King warned. He had always been very protective over Morgana, even against his own son, which made it harder for Arthur to talk out of turn.

The prince heard the sounds of servants and royals starting to mull about the courtyard below. He looked out to see that the sun had now moved further into the sky. Feeling the need to end this slightly awkward conversation he stood and bowed to his father.

"As much as I am enjoying your company Sire, I must be off. I wished to leave quite early this morning and I feel that if I stay too long I won't be able to get in a full days worth of hunting." Uther held up his hand to silence his son.

"Say no more, Arthur. I understand," and gave him a knowing smile as the young man retreated into the hall and made his way to his chambers.

When he arrived he found Merlin putting the finishing touches onto his freshly made bed. The young warlock looked up as his master made an entrance.

"There you are Sire, your bed made and your dirty socks washed and put away. Anything else you would like to throw at me? A pillow perhaps, or maybe even some water," Merlin said this with as much cheer as he could muster; he knew how Arthur relished the thought of an early morning and a happy Merlin to rub it in his face. He believed that if he had to suffer, then the rest of the world should and so by default; Merlin.

"Look, Merlin, I'm sorry about last night. I had a bit too much to drink and..." he paused and cleared his throat, not really knowing what he could say to make it up to the dark haired man, "Anyways, we have to leave now if we are to get a decent hunt by nightfall. Go prepare enough provisions for three days and ready the horses. I want to be ready to leave within the hour." Merlin nodded and left the room to go collect the necessary items for their trip.

Arthur sighed as he sat down on the end of his bed. Now that he had nothing to distract himself with, thoughts and memories from his dream flooded back into his mind at full force; flashes of pale skin and soft moans dancing in front of his eyes. He groaned, remembering how wonderful it felt to have that body withering against his own, running a hand over his cock, whispering his name over and over again. His eyes shot open, without him even knowing he had closed them. It hadn't happened, it wasn't real. He and Merlin had never had sex...ever. Merlin didn't even desire men, let alone him. So why was he torturing himself with mental images of that delicious body? 'This has got to stop now before it gets out of hand. I need to push these feelings away and get on with life. Be _normal!_' he berated.

After making a solid promise to himself, he took off his shirt and went over the bowl of water sitting on the table. The cum from earlier had started to become very uncomfortable as it had dried on his stomach during breakfast and he wanted to rid himself of any incriminating evidence from his past dream, 'It's starting to feel like more of a _nightmare_ now'. The prince finished up and replaced his shirt just as his manservant entered the room, declaring that everything was set and ready for the trip. Merlin helped Arthur with his armour and the two men made their way out to the waiting horses. Once they reached the gates of the city they quickened their pace to make up for lost time. Arthur looked around at the greenery, relishing in the fact that he now had time to be himself and not have to worry about being the prince. For the next few days it would just be him and Merlin and the only thing he had to worry about was keeping his dreams in check and he would be fine. But at that moment Merlin lifted himself off his saddle to see something far off in the distance and Arthurs eyes immediately redirected to Merlin's arse.

'God this is going to be a long three days.' He thought.


	3. Chapter 3

The Prince and his manservant travelled by horse for several hours before they decided to stop for lunch. They were not yet deep enough in the forest for the hunt to really start so they sat in a green pasture and ate some food that Merlin had prepared earlier.

"So how long exactly are we camping for?" Merlin questioned, and looked over at the usually attractive man who currently had his mouth full of bread and cheese. Arthur opened his mouth and attempted to talk, but was obstructed by the mountain of food so the only sound he made was a muffle. "...Probably should swallow before talking, _sire_, it's not very attractive." The Prince swallowed the large mouthful painfully and cleared his throat before replying.

"We will be _staying_ for as long as I say, Merlin. And don't tell me what to do! God only knows I could have Small Pocks and you would still find me attractive." Arthur smirked at his seeming witty comment, but Merlin just gave him an odd look. It took him only seconds to realise what he said, "What? No- I didn't mean it like that! I meant that-"Merlin started to giggle at Arthurs poor attempts at covering his tracks.

"Arthur, Arthur," Merlin soothed," It's _okay_. I know you want me to love you...but the sad truth is; I just don't fancy prats, Sorry." The dark haired boy smiled and gave his companion a punch on the shoulder.

"What? NO! That's not what I meant, Merlin," Flashes of last night's dream once again invading his mind, "I was talking about women. _Women_ find me attractive and I find _them_ attractive. I'm the Prince." Merlin looked at him like he had gone mad and replied in a patronising tone.

"_Yes_, Arthur, I am well a wear of that fact." The younger man stood up and put a hand to his heart dramatically," You walk into a room and women swoon. You know, even Gwen has a thing for you...I mean: Once you get past your pratish nature, your smelly socks and the fact that you're an idiot, you're not that bad." Arthur sighed and shook his head, finally rid of the memories tormenting him and able to concentrate on his so called "Friend".

"You know...I can easily put you in the stocks when we get home." He jumped up and went and stood alarmingly close to Merlin, pressing his newly unsheathed dagger into his side; not enough to hurt him, but just enough to scare him, before whispering in his ear, "...Or I could leave you here for the Bears." Merlin's eyes widened at the close proximity of the Prince and looked around trying to locate the offending beasts. After a few moments of insistent searching, eyes darting about the clearing, Arthur burst out laughing and Merlin finally realised that it was a joke; or so he hoped.

A few hours later, while the mid afternoon sun shone through the leafy canopy, Merlin and the young Prince found their first prey. Arthur gracefully slipped off his horse and stalked silently through the forest. Merlin jumped off his horse and tied the two animals up by a tree, then grabbed his rucksack and followed after Arthur.

The young warlock caught up with his friend just in time to see him crouching behind a tree, readying to shoot a rabbit. Arthur was just about to release the arrow when Merlin tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground; accidently knocking Arthurs arm and making him miss.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted. The aggravated man threw his bow at the ground and gave the offending man a sharp look. "Are you that incompetent that you can't even _walk_ properly without screwing it up?" The manservant remained silent and waited for his Prince to cool down; no matter what he said now, Arthur would always retort with a remark about his clumsiness.

Once the Royal Prince of Prattington had calmed down over the loss of his prey, they made their way back to the horses and started their trek through the forest once again.

When Arthur finally decided to stop and set up camp for the night, the sun was already setting and a dark glow surrounded the empty clearing. There was a slight breeze that brought on the closing day, the soft undulating grass making it pleasant to sit and enjoy. Arthur went to gather wood to make a fire, while Merlin stayed behind and set up their beds and started making the right preparations for dinner. The hunter had shot two rabbits after the first poor attempt as he had ordered Merlin to stay with the horses and absolutely still; Arthur was sure that even _Merlin_ could not screw up those orders.

Arthur returned with some wood and kindling, ordered Merlin to get the fire started and meal cooking before he left again to gather more wood to last the night. When he walked through the trees and into the clearing he found a large, warm fire crackling away and a happy Merlin carefully turning the rabbits on a spit. He did not think that he had been away long for the fire to be _this_ impressive, but did not question his skills. The young dark haired man had always been one to get a fire started at the best of times, but of course being Arthur, he would never tell his friend this, '_It would only go to his head_''.

He placed the wood next to the fire and sat down next to Merlin. The smell of roasting rabbit caused his stomach to rumble and send a shock through his body. He had not known he was that hungry; although riding miles and miles from Camelot, trekking through a never ending forest and constantly on look out really takes it out of a person. Merlin peered at Arthur, having also heard the blonde's stomach grumble and saw that he was blushing.

"Don't worry, Sire. Your dinner will be ready in a few minutes." The Prince only nodded his approval and fell back into the long grass, bringing his arms to rest under his head, closing his eyes and letting go of a sigh.

'_This feels so good,'_ Arthur thought. He rarely _ever_ got to spend anytime just relaxing. You would think that being the Prince of Camelot, he would have all the time in the world as he did not occupy himself doing mundane jobs, but in reality, he had no time at all. His father often put a lot of pressure on him; not that he minded, it's just that he would appreciate a break every once in a while. That's why he loved going on these hunts with just him and Merlin, '_Though I really don't fancy spending much time with him, especially after what happened last night. It did nothing but distract him, thinking of how it felt having the blue eyed man thrusting up against him, having his hand wrapped around my-_' Arthur moaned and arched his back, but the noise from his own throat was enough to pull him back to reality. He slowly opened his eyes and looked over at the man beside him; the soft luminous glow from the fire made Merlin appear even more beautiful than he had in his dream. His sharp cheekbones clearly defined by the shadows cast, and his blues shone brighter. He really was breathtaking, so much so that Arthur could barely hold onto the words in his mouth.

"Beautiful..." Merlin was shocked out of his daze and glanced over at the blonde man.

"What is?" Arthur tried to control his breathing as his heart was beating dangerously fast, '_What an idiot_' he berated himself. Once he felt like he could talk without giving himself away he replied.

"The sky?" Merlin smiled and looked up while Arthur sighed in relief.

"Mmm...When I lived in Ealdor, my friend and I would sometimes leave for a few days and go into the bush. We would always look at the stars at night; it was always so beautiful."Arthur's mouth twitched into a smile as he watched Merlin completely mesmerised by one of life's mysteries.

"Was that Will? Your friend, I mean..."

"Yes." The Prince's mouth made an 'O' shape in realisation and remained silent. After a while he raised a new question, one that had been playing on his mind for some time.

"But I thought you hated these hunting trips? Or is it just me?" Arthur accused.

"What?" Merlin questioned, his face contorted into a confused expression and his eyebrows burrowed down.

"You have always said that you hate coming on these trips, but then you say you used to do it _willingly _in Ealdor. Is it just me or-"

"Yes, Arthur, I hate you." Merlin said deadpanned with a serious expression and now it was time for Arthur's eyes to widen. He was about to protest when Merlin burst out laughing. Arthur sat up and glared at the dark headed man who he felt just existed _solely_ to make fun of him.

"You know what? I'm _not_ going to leave you here for the bears. I'm going to put you in the stocks when we get back, so I can have the pleasure of pelting you with vegetables myself!" This only made the laughing man cry out more and double over onto his knees, his shoulders shaking as he continued to laugh.

Once Merlin had calmed down enough, he returned his attention to the cooked rabbits in front of him. They looked ready and smelt delicious; defiantly acceptable to serve up to his Prince. He split the meat up between the two of them and they ate in a companionable silence, both just happy to be with each other and to be eating such a filling meal.

The night was getting on and they had to get a good night's rest if they wanted to get away early, so the two men made climbed into their makeshift beds and stared up at the sky in silence. Just as Arthur was drifting off to sleep, Merlin found it the best time to start with his usual chatter.

"I wonder what is really out there? I mean...there are _soooo_ many lights in the sky...and...Everything seems so BIG. When Will and I used to camp, we would just stare at them for hours...It makes me feel so small, Arthur...like I'm just a little part of _everything_. Arthur?" He turned and looked at Arthur, only to find the blonde headed man snoring soundly. Arthur had fallen asleep shortly after hoping into bed and was lulled to sleep by Merlin's voice. He had quite a soothing voice that made him feel safe and relaxed, but he did not think that falling asleep to the sound of Merlin's voice would be particularly good idea, considering the circumstances. He would have to wait till morning, so only time would tell.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading. Im going away for awhile, so I wont be able to add anymore chapters... BUT, I will be writting whilst on holidays, SO DON'T PANIC my little chickens :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Merlin and Arthur spent three full days hunting, catching at least one or two rabbits for their evening meals and snacking on the food Merlin had packed before leaving Camelot. The days had all been sunny and the nights cool, making the past few days some of the most pleasurable that Arthur had experienced in a long time. And it wasn't just the great hunt and lovely days that made him relax, it was also the company.

The morning of the first full day hunting, Arthur had awoken find himself in the same predicament as the previous day. He'd had yet another dream about the raven headed man beside him, because as predicted, the soothing voice of Merlin that lulled him to sleep only made him want the blue eyed man more...and the sad thing he realised was; he couldn't have him. Thankfully Merlin was still asleep next to him and did not even stir when Arthur climbed out of the makeshift bed to go wash at a stream near by the camp. '_It's not that I don't enjoy these dreams,' _he thought to himself as he stood by the running stream and washed his chest and arms, '_It's just that, they make me want him even though I_ know_ it's wrong. They only remind me of what I can never have from him, and what he will never give me.'_ And with that last depressing thought, he pulled his tunic over his head and walked back to the camp and his sleeping friend, '_...because that's all he will ever be to me."_

The passing days Arthur found, despite himself, enjoying being around Merlin more and more. He had succumbed to the fact that they were only ever going to be friends and that's all. A part of his mind kept telling him that he was the Prince and could have anyone he wanted, especially his idiot servant, while the other part of his mind was saying that Merlin deserved better than an old prat like him. But every time this passed through his mind, he would feel an ache in his stomach and a pain in his chest. Regardless of the conflicting emotions he was experiencing, he managed to have fun.

Merlin finished packing the horses and the two men once again started their long journey, though this time in the direction of civilization, '_If you could call innocent people being burnt to a crisp for something so natural _civilized.' Merlin though darkly. He had known the man who had been caught and killed for using a simple spell. He and Merlin had 'Got together' a few times, but had broken it off after almost being caught by Gaius one time. He had really liked Alain and they had become good friends, but even though Merlin had known he was a sorcerer, he would never divulge his secret to anyone...Maybe Arthur when the time was right, but besides his Mother, Gaius and Will, there is no one else he would trust with his secret.

Well, secrets...

No one besides Will and Alain knew about his preferences, and that was only because of a interesting camping trip Him and Will took one day. They had been swimming in a small lake far out from the village and after cooling down, decided to sun bathe on the bank. The two boys had been talking animatedly when the conversation had drifted towards some of the girls in the village. Merlin had never felt anything towards the girls in Ealdor and had always been cast aside from the more rugged boys, so did feel _anything_ towards anyone...that was until Will had started talking about what it would feel like to kiss someone, what it would feel like to be with someone. Will had carried on talking about all these urges he had been having until Merlin couldn't take it anymore and rolled over, closer to his friend. They had stared at each other for a few seconds before they both lent towards the other and crushed their mouths in a kiss. Merlin found himself on top of Will as they continued to kiss until they ran out of breath. When Merlin finally surfaced, his lips were red from the kiss and his breathing haggard. He steered into his friends grey eyes and before he knew it, they were laughing until they saw stars. They had agreed to never do that again, as it was like kissing a brother and left that interesting day behind them. From that day forward, Merlin found that he only ever felt an inclination to guys and kept that secret from everyone.

That was until he met Alain.

Merlin had been running some errands for Gaius in town; collecting supplements for his remedies and the like...and this would have been fine, if only Merlin had not been in a hurry to finish so he could get to one demanding Prat. He was rounding the corner of a building when he ran into the body of another man. This man was about Merlin's height, had dark brown hair, incredibly dark brown eyes that almost bordered on black and an arrogant smile. Though he looked full of himself, it was almost endearing and Merlin found himself instantly drawn to the man. He had a thin but solid frame and an olive complexion.

"Well, it's just my luck that on my first day here that I bump into such a fine specimen as yourself. Prey, tell me...What is your name?" From that day the two men got together as much as they could, just going for walks and talking; sometimes laughing at Arthur or talking about life. Then one day while the heavy rains had forced everybody inside, Alain and Merlin had been lounging around on his bed, just lying beside each other with their feet dangling over the edge when Merlin felt a hand run down his arm, stroking it softly before making its way up past over his chest and onto his check. The soft hand with long elegant fingers pulled on the side of his face, turning him towards their owners and then quite suddenly, he felt warm lips on his own. The kiss became more urgent as he relaxed into the embrace and soon they were ridden of their clothes and rutting up against each other, bring the other to completion. Merlin lay there in Alain arms, panting as he tried to control his breathing. The brunet had laid a soft kiss on the warlocks head and smiled while he whispered in his ear.

"I've wanted to do that since the day I met you."

There little relationship had carried on for a few months and in that time they had grown to care about each other dearly, but not love. Merlin did not feel love for Alain, even after finding out that he had magic like him, so he wouldn't be judged if he told, he still did not want anything other than companionship.

A voice niggled at the back of his mind when it suddenly became louder and he was brought back from his thoughts. Arthur was a several metres behind him and was looking rather perturbed and when Merlin just looked back at him and shrugged in confusion Arthur sighed loudly.

"I have just been having a rather lovely conversation with myself, seeing as my servant is much too fond ignoring me and rather content in reliving memories. Not that there could be that many seeing as your brain doesn't have the capacity to retain much...Just out of curiosity, what were you thinking about that could be more interesting than me?" Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur and continued riding trekking through the forest as the Prince continued. "...Or were you think about me and how brilliant I am? I wouldn't be surprised," he sighed and carried on playfully, "I am rather dashing. In that case, carry on." Merlin let out a chuckle.

"God, you really are a prat aren't you. For your information, I was not thinking about you...although now I _am _thinking about how much of an idiot you are-"He was cut off by Arthur as he raised his hand for silence, and thinking that there was an animal nearby, he remained silent. As it turned out, Arthur was only silencing him so he would not have listen to anymore insults from Merlin.

An hour later the two men found themselves riding in through the gates of Camelot and to the stables where a younger man took the horses from them and tended to the overwork animals that they had pushed hard as to make it back before dark.

Arthur and Merlin were making their way to the Princes chambers when Sir Gwaine, one of Arthurs knights and a good friend of them both, walked into the corridor and stood straight in front of them.

"Merlin, you're back!" Gwaine cried happily, "I tried finding you the other day, but Gwen said you had gone on another hunting trip." Merlin's face brightened up immediately upon seeing the knight which only made Arthur frown. '_How come he didn't look like that when I talk to him?'_

"Yeah, well it was kind of sprung on me the night before hand, so I wasn't given much warning. I tried to find you that morning, but no one had seen you" Gwaine laughed.

"Yeah...well I had gone to the tavern the night before..." Arthur blocked the two laughing men out as the continued to talk intimately, almost completely forget that the Prince of Camelot was in their midst. He finally tuned into the conversation to hear Gwaine say something in a hushed tone to his manservant.

"Merlin...I was hoping I could have a little chat with you?" Merlin turned and looked towards his master, before declining.

"I'm sorry Gwaine, but I have to tend to Arthur and get his dinner prepared." Gwaine visibly shrunk in disappointment but reluctantly agreed. Merlin could see his sadness so spoke up, "...But after would be fine." The knight smiled broadly as the blue eyed man continued, "You can wait in my room for me. I shouldn't be that long." Gwaine agreed and the Prince and his servant carried on down the corridor while knight made his way to the Physicians quarters.

When they entered Arthurs' chambers, the Prince rounded in front of Merlin and stopped dangerously close to him.

"What was that?" He demanded, feeling angry towards Merlin for enjoying the knights company. Merlin peered at him with a curious expression.

"What was what?" he said slowly, in hopes to actually understand this strange behaviour.

"That! Before with Gwaine! What was that?" Merlin scoffed.

"_That_," and he pointed to the door, "Was a conversation between _friends. _I do have some you know." Arthur groaned at Merlin's reply. '_God, he is so frustrating!' _he mentally yelled. The skinny man just stood there waiting for an answer, awkwardly gazing around the room and then Arthur sighed.

"Just go away, Merlin. I will get one of the other servants to see to me this evening. Go have fun with your _friend_." Merlin was about to protest but thought wise just to leave it. He nodded and disappeared out the door to go meet the man waiting in his rooms.

Arthur went and climbed on his bed without taking off his clothes or shoes. He was too tired to deal with anything right now and all he wanted to do was forget whatever Merlin and Gwaine had to discuss without him. '_Why do I have to feel this way?' _Arthur groaned, '_I don't care what that Gwaine is more acquainted with Merlin than I am...I'm not...'_ and with this last fleeting thought, he fell asleep.


End file.
